BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR
Twitter: @MiSoccerNetwork
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – It’s not always about how you start or how you navigate some bumps in the road, but it’s how you finish in the end.
After finishing second to Milford in the regular season of the Lakes Valley Conference, Walled Lake Northern turned up the volume in recent weeks to record its second straight LVC Tournament championship Thursday with a 1-0 victory over fifth-seeded South Lyon East.
While Milford won the regular season crown (7-1-0, 21 points), Walled Lake Northern followed in second (6-2-0, 18 points) with Waterford Kettering third (4-1-3, 15 points), White Lake Lakeland fourth (4-3-1, 13 points) and South Lyon East fifth (3-2-3, 12 points) in the nine-school standings.
South Lyon East did Walled Lake Northern a solid by upsetting top-seeded Milford 1-0 in a shootout during Monday’s semifinals after beating White Lake Lakeland (5-0) in the quarterfinals the previous week.
The Knights (12-4-1 overall) defeated Waterford Mott (5-0) in the quarters and Waterford Kettering (1-0) in the semifinals to set the stage for a No. 2 seed vs. a No. 5 seed in the finals.
By virtue of earning eight points in the regular season standings and nine points in the tournament standings, Walled Lake Northern finishes first overall with 17 points in the final standings.
Brooklyn Zelan leapt as tall as a skyscraper Thursday night during the championship match to head home a Mia Czanrowski cornerkick in just the fourth minute and the Northern defense made it stand in the 1-0 triumph.
Gabrielle Payne recorded her team’s third straight shout and eighth clean sheet overall with fine defensive help from Kayla Budziak and Addison Porter and the entire Northern backline.
Walled Lake Northern has now outscored its opposition 39-8 this season and has posted a team goals-against-average of 0.48 this season. The Knights own a six-game unbeaten streak where they have posted a 14-2 scoring edge and have pitched four straight shutouts. Over the last 10 games, Northern is
Only previously state-ranked Rochester (2-0 loss) has scored two goals in a single game against Walled Lake Northern and that came at the Lawrence Tech University Showcase on April 26.
The Knights drew the No. 1 seed and also a bye in the pre-district round, so they will be idle until a 5 p.m. district semifinals clash on May 28 at Novi Meadows Elementary School against an undetermined opponent. Northern will play the winner of the May 23 pre-district matchup of Walled Lake Central and White Lake Lakeland, a pair of LVC teams whom the Knights defeated this season (Walled Lake Central once and Lakeland twice).
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer of teams or players with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com, or call 248-884-1051. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com.)
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